The Ultimate Vegan Lip Balm Recipe
The following guest post is by Tracy Perkins of StrawberryHedgehog.com. She makes specialty handmade vegan bath & body products, and she has a special vegan lip balm recipe to share with you all!
I make many a product over at StrawberryHedgehog.com. From organic oils soaps to whipped body creme, I have my hands full with my current product line. Over the years I’ve had to streamline and eliminate some products so I can handle things best and give 110% to what I am doing. On that list of products once loved and eventually nixed was my fabulous vegan lip balm. I tend to use my unrefined shea butter now, or straight mango butter, but a good tube of lip balm can’t be beat, especially if it is tinted!
In comes my buddy, Mary, vegan mineral makeup extraordinaire and fellow crafty-guru behind GothCupcake.Etsy.com! She mixed up a couple of beautiful lip-safe mineral pigment blends, I had all the goods for the balms and we made a fun filled night of it!
Ratio: (given so you can play with the recipe and make smaller batches – try tbsp instead of cups for a smaller qty)
- 3 parts butters
- 2 parts wax
- 4 parts oil
Tinted Vegan Lip Balm
makes 2 1/4 cups, i.e 18oz, i.e. lots of lip balm!
- 1/4 cup unrefined shea butter
- 1/2 cup fair trade cocoa butter
- 1/4 cup candelilla wax
- 1/4 cup carnuba wax
- 1 cup jojoba oil
- 1/2 tsp vitamin e oil (soy)
- * 90-180 drops essential oil or organic flavor oil
- * 3/4 tsp mineral pigment
Your measurements should be of the melted material so use a heat resistant measuring cup to measure and heat. Many recipes call for a double boiler but because I like to use the same container for heating and measuring I use the microwave in 30 second bursts and remove when there are no solid pieces remaining. I like to melt my waxes first, then my butters and then add my oil. When you add your oil it may cause it to solidify a bit so just pop it back in the micro for a few more rounds of 30 seconds. Test the consistency on your hand (this is crazy hot! Don’t burn yourself, I stir with a chopstick then let it cool a bit on the end and put a dab on the back of my hand to see if the consistency is what I am going for).
If it is too thick/waxy, add more oil, too thin, add more butter. Play around with the oils and butters you use – cocoa is harder than shea, jojoba is a liquid wax so provides a more shelf-stable product and is great for your lips. Castor oil would have a wonderful consistency that might lead to longer wear while apricot kernel or sweet almond would be light and readily absorbed. Once you have the consistency you like start adding your organic flavor oils and essential oils.
We split our batch into two at this point so we could have two colors/flavors. Be sure you are using high quality oils! Never ever ever use a “essence” “perfume” “fragrance” or anything of the like. Organic extracts are great for scents that can’t be obtained as essential oils. If you are using extracts be sure they are in an oil base rather than alcohol as alcohol will not mix with your lip balm, it will just bead up and be yucky. Be careful with citrus, mints, anise, cinnamon, and clove as these are wonderful but powerful oils. Test as you go to see if it is too warming or cooling and play around. Also, if you wouldn’t eat it from your garden or spice cabinet do not use the essential oil in something that goes on your lips – i.e. no mugwort lip balm!
Our oil combos:
Tropical Bliss:
- 90 tangerine essential oil
- 30 coconut organic extract
Peppermint Kiss:
- 60 peppermint essential oil
- 60 spearmint essential oil
- 60 vanilla organic extract
You can add in some mineral pigment as long as you know it is safe for lips. Just because it is a mineral doesn’t mean you can use it without caution. Lead is a mineral, my dearies, you don’t want that on your lips! :c) Micas and iron oxides are your best bet. Mary mixed up two beautiful mica blends for our use! A coppery, sun-kissed blend and a shimmery wine tint, both beautiful. Just stir them in gently until the color is distributed throughout. If things start to solidify put them back in the micro for 30 seconds but use a lid once the essential oils are in to avoid them volatilizing too much.
Now you can pour! Tubes and a little pouring tray can be found online and are very helpful to do many at once but you can just as easily use empty candy tins, small jars, etc. For the trays and tubes just pop them in securely and begin pouring. Don’t worry about getting it on the tray or even spilling over (as long as you are working on a very clean surface, of course!) as you can just scrape off the cooled excess, remelt, and pour again. Once cooled thoroughly scrape off the top, wiggle and twist to get the lip balm out (I find this is easier in the thin tubes), wipe off or scrape off the top for an even and clean surface and put on the lid! You’ve just made magical home made vegan lip balm. :c) Any excess can be poured into a Tupperware and kept for your next batch.
About Sunny (Sunny's Profile)
Longtime vegan, hardcore compassionate beauty junkie, serious cake aficionado, and lover of all things floofy and sparkly! If there's something in particular you'd like me to review, drop me a line at Sunny@VeganBeautyReview.com. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Google +.Filed in: DIY vegan beauty products
